Means for supporting soot cleaner heads



Aug. 39, 1932. 5, AREY 1,874,151

MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SOOT CLEANER HEADS Filed Sept. 4; 1930 4 Shets-Sheet 1 Aug, 3%, 1932. F. c AREY MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SOOT CLEANER ams Filed Sept. 4, 19:50 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 F. c. AREZY 15%,153

MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SOOT GLEARWR HEADS Filed Sept. 4, 1930 4Sheets-Sheer. 5

Aug, 36, W32.

l I v I W N r Aug. 30, 1932. c AREY 1,8?4J51 MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SCOTCLEANER HEADS Filed Sept. 4, 1930 4 Shets-Sheet 4 bular soot cleaningelements.

Patented Aug. 30, 1932 UNETED STATES PATENT orricE FRED AREY, OF OAKPARK; ILLINOIS, ASSIGrNOR 'IO VU'LCAN SOOT CLEANER COM- PANY, OF DUBOIS, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SOOTCLEANER HEADS Application filed. September 4, 1930. Serial No. 479,645.

It is common to provide boilers of the water tube and return tube types,superheaters and economizers with permanent tu- In order to keep thenumber of distributing elements required as low as possible, they mustbe operated, while delivering steam, so that each will distribute itsjets of steam over a number of the tubes to be cleaned. For this purposeeach cleaning element has thereon, outside of the furnace or boilersetting, a head by means of which the element may be rotated. oroscillated, either by power or manually. The cleaning elements areusually fastened to some of the tubes to be cleaned so as to maintainthem in proper position with respect thereto. However, due to thedifference in expansion and contraction between the boiler tubes and theboiler setting, there must be room for vertical play between thecleaning elements which are attached to the boiler tubes and theboilersetting. Consequently, the cleaner heads cannot be fixed to the boilersetting and have heretofore constituted a dead weight on the outer endsof the cleaner elements. The cleaner elements become very hot during thetimes no steam is flowing through them and, as the heads thereon arequite heavy, the weight of the heads frequently causes the cleanerelements to bend and bind in their supports when it is attempted to turnthem, thus rendering the cleaner elements inoperative.

The objectof the present invention is to overcome the objection justnoted. I accomplish this by supporting the cleaner head from the boileror furnace setting in such a way that the cleaning element is relievedfrom carrying the whole or the greater part of the weight thereof whileat the same time the head may move up and down to compensate for adifference in expansion or contraction between the tubes to becleanedand the boiler setting. I 1

Because of the need for permitting relative vertical movements betweenthe cleaning elements and the boiler or furnace setting, a closure mustbe provided for the large opening or window in the latter through myinvention is characterized will hereinafter he pointed out withparticularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of myinvention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to thefollowing detailed description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein: Figure l-is a. view partly in elevation and partly invertical section showing the head end of a cleaning unit embodying myinvention and a fragment of the boiler or furnace setting; Fig. 2 is abottom plan view of the bushing or casing that is set in the furnacewall for the passage of the cleaner element, together with the supportfor the head; Fig. '3 is an end view of the devices shown in Fig. 2;Fig. 4 is a section on line etof Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a view similar toFig. 1, showing a modification; Fig. 6 is a top plan View of the bushingor sleeveand the support for the head, as they appear in Fig. 5; andFig. 7 is an end View of the bushing or sleeve of Figs. 5 and 6.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4: of the drawings, A represents a boiler orfurnace setting in which is fixed a bushing or open-ended casing 1through which passesa tubular cleaning element 2 much smaller indiameter than the transverse internal dimensions of the casing.

On the outer end of the cleaning element is a head 3 of any usual orsuitable construction, shown as being of the manually operated typehaving a wheel 4 to receive an operating chain or the like. The member 1has a wing or flange 5 extending downwardly from the bracket tends toassume when unloaded may be regulated.

The parts are so proportioned that the saddle supports the head at aboutthe center of gravity of the latter if the entire weight of the head isto be borne by the bracket, thereby causing the headto be balanced onthe brackst and its wei ht removed from the cleaning element.

The mouth the outer end of the bushing or casing 1 has therein a seat 16that is part of a spherical surface whose center is at a considerabledistance outward therefrom. Extending through the open outer end of thecasingor bushing is a cupshaped member 1? having in the bottom anopening through which the cleaning element passes, the opening beingonly large enough to receive the cleaning element without leaving anymate rial open space around the same. At the mouth of the cup is. aflange 18 shaped to fit the spherical seat 16. There is a compressionspring 19 interposed between the headand the bottom of the cup to hold.the flange tightly against its seat. The cup therefore has a ball andsocket joint with the bushing or casing, and can swing in any directionabout the center of the spherical bearing surfaces, the bearing surfacesbeing held in contact with each other, however, by the spring 19.

It will be seen that if the right hand end of the cup, as viewed in Fig.1, swings downwardly, there is a bodily downward movement of the cupbecause all parts thereof are spaced apart from the center about whichthe turning movement can take place. In the same way,if the cup swingsup, there is a bodily upward movement. In short, when the cup turns inany direction, there is a bodily movement of the cup in that direction.The result is that when the cleaning element must move up or down or inany direction 17 transversely thereof with respect to the bushing orcasing, it is entirely free to do so without uncovering the mouth of thebushing or.

casing. Furthermore, since the weight of the head balances the pressureof the spring 13, the head can move up and down with the cleaningelement without stressing the same. At all times, however, the weight ofthe head is carried by the bracket, so that it can exert no tendency, tobend the cleaning element when the latter has been heated to a pointwhere it will be soft enough to bend when sustaining the weight of thehead from its outer end.

The casing or bushing, the cup, and the bracket may all be in the formof castings that require no machining except to provide the bolt holes,and the cost of manufacturing them is therefore small.

In Figs. 5 to 7 I have shown a slight modification in which there is asupporting bracket 21 overlying the head 22; one end of the bracketbeing hinged to an ear 23 on the bushing or casing 24, by means of abolt 25 passing through the bracket and the ear; and the other end ofthe bracket being connected to a strap 26 that encircles a part of thehead. In the arrangement shown, the

free end of the bracket is interposed between the ends of the strap andis secured thereto by a bolt 27 passing through the bracket and the endsof the strap. The head shown in this form of my invention is one adaptedto be operated by power as, for example, a steam engine 28. This head isshown simply by way of illustration, however, as the details thereofform 110 part of the present invention.

The weight of the head is borne upon a pair of compression springs 29.These springs are shown as surrounding a pair of studs 30, each fixed atits lower end to and extending upwardly and outwardly from a lug 31 castintegral with the casing or bushing at opposite sides thereof and at theouter end. On each stud are a nut or nuts 32 on which the correspondingspring rests. The upper end of each stud extends through an opening 33in the ear 34 on the bracket. As

in the other form of my invention, by adjusting the nut or nuts 32 theweight of thehead may be transferred to the springs after the assemblyhas been made. 7

It will thus be seen that I have produced a simple and novel means forovercoming one of the principal objections to permanently installed sootcleaners, namely the bending of the cleaning elements, when highlyheated, through the weight of the operating heads thereon. It will alsobe seen that I have pro duced a simple and novel closure for the openingin the wall through which the cleaning element passes, and one that isrugged and not apt to get out of order.

\Vhile I have illustrated and described with particularity only a singlepreferred form of my invention, with a slight modification, I do notdesire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustratedand described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which comewithin the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

I claim 1. The combination with a cleaning'eleinent passing through awall with respect to Which it has relative vertical movements and 'I x Q'mitting the head to move vertically.

2. The combination with a cleaning element passing through a wall withrespect to "which it has relative vertlcal movements and imposing itsweight on the latter. 7

3. In an apparatus of the character de-' scribed having a cleaningelement provided at one end with a head includlng means for turning thecleaning element for operating the same, means for balancing the weightof the head independently of the cleaning element and permitting thehead to rise and fall as the cleaning element moves up and down.

ll. The combination with an apparatus of the character described havinga cleaning element required to have capacity for vertical movementsrelative to the boiler or furnace setting and provided at its outer endwith a head, including means for turning the cleaning element, of meansfor imposing the weight of the head on the said setting independently ofthe cleaning element while permitting vertical movements of the head.

5. The combination withan apparatus of the character described having acleaning element required to have capacity for, vertical movementsrelative to the furnace or boiler setting, which cleaning element isprovided with a head including means for turning the cleaning element,of spring means interposed between the head and the said setting tosustain the weight of the head independently of the cleaning elementWhile permitting it to move vertically.

6. The combination with an apparatus of the class described having acleaning element required to have capacity for vertical movementsrelative to the furnace or boiler setting, of a bracket hinged at oneend to the said setting and having its other end in supporting relationto the said head at about the center of gravity of the latter, andspring means between the bracket and said setting to take the weight ofthe head while permitting the bracket to swing and allow the head torise and fall. 7

7. The combination with a cleaning element passing through a wall withrespect to which it has relative vertical movements and having at itsouter end a head including means for turning the cleaning element, of avertically yieldable element supported by said wall and supportingsaidhead at about the center of gravity of the head, whereby the weight ofthe head is balanced independently of the cleaning element.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, a wall having an openingtherethrough, a cup-shaped member smaller in diameter than the openingextending into the opening and having an enlarged portion at the openouter end engaged with said wall around the said opening,the enlargementon said member and said wall engaging each other along bearing surfacesforming a ball and socket joint the center of whose spherical surfacelies outwardly from said wall, a cleaning element smaller in'diameterthan said cup-shaped member extending through the same and through ahole in the bottom thereof of about the same diameter as the cleaningelement, and a spring acting on said member to hold'said bearingsurfaces together; whereby said cleaning element may move bodily indirections at right angles to its longitudinal axis while said memberturns about the center of said spherical surfaces and maintains a tightjoint.

tion.

FRED C. AREY.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specifica-

